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3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. A. LORENZ & G. E. DE LUE. PIGKER DEVICE FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. No. 606,222., Patented June 28,1898.

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Wiznesses: Inventors: /Zx/%W m'lliam iZOTenz B their flttomey aEo'lwz'nfDeLuel (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

, W. A. LORENZ & 0.1-1. DE LUE. PIGKER DEVICE FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. No. 606,222. Patented June 28,1898.

32 Wibwsses: Inv'eniors: (/flco/hvn/ 34 m'llzjamflljorenz WWMW .By their fltforney Edwi :DeLue (No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 3.

W. A. LORENZ & O. E. DE LUE. PIGKER DEVICE FOR STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

No. 606,222. Patented June 28,1898.

Wifness es: [7iv6n10rs: /6 mlliam flljorcnz 72 4M. 5/ m azawz'n 28mm im m0 llwrrnn F S ra'rns arnwr Critics.

\VILLIAM A. LORENZ, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, AND CLARENCE EDWIN DE LUE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO THE AMERICAN AUTOMATIC BANJO COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

PICKER DEVICE. FOR S'E'RENGED MUSICAL. lNSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 606,222, dated June 28, 1898. Application filed March 31, 1898. Serial No. 675,964. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, WILLIA ALBERT Lo- RENZ, a resident of Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, and CLAR- ENOE EDWIN DE LUE, a resident of Boston,

in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvemerits in Picker Devices for Stringed Musical Instruments, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for mechanically picking the strings of automatic or self-playing stringed musical instruments, the object being to provide improved means for controlling the lateral movements of the picker-fingers, so as to compel them to follow their respective guiding-cams, the latter being adapted, as is already well known, to so guide the movement of the point of the picker as to compel it to engage with and release its string in a predetermined and most eii'ective way, returning to its first posit-ion by a path which carries it clear of the still-vibrating string. This object is attained by attaching a controller to the picker by means of a pivotal joint and holding some portion of the controller from following the reciprocating movements of the picker. The pivotal joint is so constructed as to enable it to be tightened and loosened, its frictional resistance tending during the opposite reciprocations of the picker to move the picker laterally in opposite directions, thereby causing it to follow 3 5 the contour of itscam.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a plan view, and

Fig. 2 is a front view, partly in section, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, showing the devices of my present invention applied to the head of a banjo of the ordinary and well-known type. Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged plan views of guiding and controlling devices, Fig. 3

showing the picker at theend of its forward In these views some poi v of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is also an enlarged trans- 5o verse view in section, taken on the line (i 6 of Fig.1. Figs. 7 and 8 are plan views showing a modified arrangement of controller, Fig. 7 representing the picker at the forward end of its stroke, while Fig. 8 represents it at the rearward end thereof. In Fig. Sis also shown a modified arrangement of the means for laterally and angularly adjusting the guidingcam. Fig. 9 is a transverse view in section, taken on the line 9 9 of Fig. 7. Fig. 10 is a plan view illustrating the angular adj ustment of the guiding-cam of Figs. 3, 4c, 5, and '7. Fig. 11 is a plan view showing a modified arrangement of the controller for the picker.

This invention is applicable to various stringed musical instruments, but is illustrated herein as applied to a banjo of the ordinary construction. The banjo Bis supported by means of the bracket 12 and posts 13, extending from the base 14. The devices of the present invention are attached to the harps 15 upon either side of the instrument, which in turn are supported by the brackets 16, fixed to the base 14.

The pickers 17 are pivotally attached to their motor devices, which ordinarily and preferably consist of pneumatic bellows 1S, attached to. the bracket 16. The movable sides 19 of the bellows are normally held in their open positions (shown in Figs. 1 and 3) by means of their springs s, and the interior of each bellows coinmunicatesby means of the tubes 20 with suitable devices (not herein shown) for exhausting the air therefrom at the desired intervals for operating their respective pickers.

' As a means for guiding the pickers in the desired path with relation to their respective strings, as represented by dotted lines adjacent to the points of the pickers inthe figures, we provide each of them with a guiding-cam 21, having an aperture 22, the picker being provided with the pin or projection 23, extending into the aperture 22, the walls of the latter being of a contour suitable for guiding the point of the picker in its desired path. The cam 21 preferably consists of a plate, which is seated in a corresponding slot in a 2 cos,

base 21:, in which it is retained by the screw A strip 26 of rubber or other suitable resilient material is preferably employed in the slot between the cam-plate 2i and the base 2i and, in connection with the pivotal arrangement of the cam upon the screw 25, permits the cam to vibratslightly to cushion the movements of the picker at the ends of its stroke.

in instruments of this class it is highly desirable to adjust the picker devices while they are in motion, not only to avoid stopping the instrument if the need of adjustment is observed while it is in operation, but also because the accuracy of adjustment can best be determined by the repeated sounding of the strings in the regular playing of the instrument. The adjustments required of the picker are those for determining the orbit of movement of its point with relation to the resting position of the string and therefore comprise both its longitudinal and lateral range of movement, which, taken together, determine the depth of engagement of the picker with the string and the amount of lateral displacement thereof before releasing it. These adjustmen s are secured by attaching the cam to a block 27, fitted in a slot in the harp 15, in which it is adjustable longitudinally, and to which it is clamped in the desired position by means of the screw 28. The cam is attached to this block by means of the pivotscrew ill, having a partly-spherical head, which is seated in a correspoinling recess in the block t7, thereby permitting the cam to be swung in either direction longitudinally of the piclrer to the extent shown in Fig. 10. The adjlisting-screws 230 and 31 are located in the block 27 upon opposite sides of the pivot-screw 2i) and are seated in cupped recesses in the cam-b; so ,ly the manipulation of these screws the cam may be ad justcd angularly to the desired extent and may also be adjusted bodily toward or from the plane of the strings.

its a means foreontrolling the lateral movements of the picker during its reciproeatil'ig movement, so as to hold it into engagement with its earn and cause it to follow the contour thereof, we provide each picker with a controller 3:3, which is pivotally jointed to the picker and extends, preferably, at right angles therefrom to a suitable support upon some portion of the instrument which fixed relative to the movement of the picker, being preferably pivoted to a bracket 33, attached to the harp 15. The pivotal connection of the controller with the picker is preferably made in. the form of a frictional. joint, which is made su lliciently tight to cause the picker to be carried laterally with the angular movements of the contreller,this connection serving to carry the picker laterally toward the string during its backward movement and away from the strin during its forward movement, the am plitude of the lateral movement being determined by the walls of the aperture "32 of the guiding-cam 211.. The joint of the controller is p referably made concentric with the pi voial connection of the piclter with its bellows, as shown in the figures, the same pivot-pin ll serving for both connections. in our preferred embodiment herein shown the PlOl iUP-pill is located between bifurcatiomi of the controller, the force of frictiom'il contact being ndjusted and maintained by nugans of the clampingscrcw When the opposite end of the controller is pivotally mounted, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4-, the movabl side 1i.) of the bol lows must be slotted, as shown in those figures, to allow of the angular movements of the rcspective parts.

in the modifications shown in Figs. '7, 8, and i) the controller 32 is attached to the picker by a frictionalv joint as in the prov io us ligu res; but is opposite end, lllb'iOiLtl of being pivot ally connected with the harp, extends through a slot 30 of the latter, which serves to hold that end of the controller, so as to cause the desired lateral movements of l he picker, the re by accomplishing the same result as in the previous figures. ln this construction the controller is enabled to slide through the slot 30 to allow of the angular movements of the controller and the movable side it)" of the bellows, the latter of which. need not there-- fore be slotted, as in the previous figures.

In the ll'lOtlillOZtlilOll shown in ii the base 2i of the guiding-cam shown to he pivotally mounted. upon an extension 15" of tho harp by means of the pivot-screw 2f)", the angular adj stn'ient ol' the cam being effected by means of the screws 30 and .3. like those of the preceding ligurcs, in this modification the longitudinal adjustment of the picker cam is obtained by :iidjusting the harp bodily upon its bracket 16'', the screw-holes being elongated to allow of the desired longitudinal adjustment.

in the modification shown. in lfig. ill the cont-roller 32, instead of extending at right: angles to the direction of longitudinal move ment of the picker, is arranpunl substaiitially in line with that longitudmil movement through a support-ing-slot so". This eontroller is connected to its picker by a friotimiai jointlihe that of the previous ligures. 'lr'hen thus arranged, however, the lateral 11love ment of the picker required to malie it'follow its guiding-cam is obtained by the angular movement of the movable side 1!)" of the motonbellows instead of being caused by the angular movement of the controller, as in the previous figures, the pivot of that movable side being so disposed as to cause the point of its pivotal connection with the picker to move in a path shown by the dotted are 37. Lily thus arranging the parts it will be observed that the closing movement of the bet lows, cot perating with the frictiinial joint of the controller, tends to carry the point of the picker toward its string, while the op msilc or opening movement of the bellows tends to throw the point of the picker away from the string, the respective movements of the picker during its forward-and-backward stroke being thus like those of the preceding figures.

In all of the embodiments of this invention herein shown the outer end of the controller is represented as being attached to or engaging with a fixed portion of the instrumentnamely, the harp. It will be obvious, however, that this is not an essential feature of the invention, since the controller might conceivably be operated by a cam or connected to some moving part so long as its movements were so related to those of the picker as to move the picker laterally at the desired times.

We claim as our invention-- 1. I11 a stringed musical instrument, in combination with a reciprocating and laterallymovable picker, a controller pivotally and frictionally engaging with the picker, with means for oscillating the controller during the relatively reciprocating movements of the picker, thereby moving the picker laterally.

2. In a stringed musical instrument, in combination with a reciprocating and laterallymovable picker, a guiding-cam therefor, and a controller pivotally and frictionally clamped to the picker, with means for holding other portions of the controller from following the reciprocating movements of the picker.

3. In a stringed musical instrument, in combination with a reciprocating and laterallymovable picker, a guide and controller for the lateral movements of the picker, consisting of a cam, and of a controller connected to a relatively-fixed portion of the instrument, and clamped to the picker with sufficient frictional engagement to cause the picker to follow the cam.

4. In a stringed musical instrument, apivotally-mounted reciprocating picker, a guiding-cam therefor, and a controller connected to a relatively-fixed portion of the instrument, and frictionally attached to the picker in substantial concentricity with its pivot, whereby the frictional engagement of the relativelyfixed portion of the controller causes the picker to follow its guiding-cam.

5. In a stringed musical instrument, a pivotally-mounted reciprocating picker, a guiding-cam therefor and a controller frictionally clamped to the picker concentrically with the operation.

7. In combination with the picker of a stringed musical instrument, a guiding-cam therefor pivotally mounted upon a support which is fixed relatively to the picker, and provided with means for adjusting the angular position of the cam upon its pivotal support in a direction longitudinally of the movement of the picker.

8. In combination with the picker of a stringed musical instrument, a guiding-cam therefor, a pivot-screw upon which the cam is mounted, and by means of which it maybe adjusted laterally to the movement of the picker, and adjusting-screws located upon opposite sides of the pivot-screw for adjust ing the cam angularly upon its pivotal support in opposite directions longitudinally of the movement of the picker.

9. In combination with the picker of a stringed musical instrument, a guiding-cam therefor, a block adj ustably clamped to a relatively-fixed portion of the instrument, a screw connecting the cam with the block whereby the position of the cam may be adjusted both laterally and longitudinally.

WILLIAM A. LORENZ. O. EDWIN DE LUE. Witnesses:

WM. N. FERGUSON, WALLACE A. KROYER. 

